CIVIL Enginieerin A/Prof Hadi Khabbaz Email: [email protected] Room 2.511B How to keep up to date in your field Tips for Effective Literature Searching

CIVIL Enginieerin

A/Prof Hadi KhabbazA/Prof Hadi Khabbaz

Email: [email protected]

Room 2.511B

How to keep up to date in your fieldHow to keep up to date in your field

Tips for Effective Literature Tips for Effective Literature Searching Searching

If we knew what it was we

were doing, it would not be

called research, would it?

Albert Einstein

RESEARCH is an endeavour that

scholars intentionally set out to enhance

their understanding of a phenomenon

and expect to communicate what they

discover to the large scientific

community. (Leedy and Ormrod, 2005, p. 4)

Publish or PerishPublish or Perish

“If I have seen a little farther, it is by

standing on the shoulder of giants”

Why do we need to use Literature?Why do we need to use Literature?

(Isaac Newton, 1643 - 1727)

“Standing on

the shoulder of

a giant”

Add at least an epsilon to Add at least an epsilon to the body of knowledgethe body of knowledge

We Need More Information

ConfusionConfusion

InformationInformation

The volume of publication output has exploded.

More Information less confusion

More Information Brings More

Confusion!?

ConfusionConfusion

InformationInformation

The volume of publication output has exploded.

Too much Information more

confusion!?

Question to a Tasmanian

Devil:

How do you eat a horse?

Ans: In small bites.

Teamwork!?Teamwork!?

How to Reduce Confusion with

Heaps of Information

Collect and integrate information in a systematic and well-organised approaches.Collect and integrate information in a systematic and well-organised approaches.

How to Reduce ConfusionAn Example in Engineering Discipline.An Example in Engineering Discipline.

• Historical Background

• Theoretical Aspects

• Mathematical Aspects

• Design Aspects

• Experimental Aspects (Field Measurements, Lab Testing)

• Numerical Analysis

• Construction Aspects

• Social, Economical and Environmental Aspects

• Case Studies/Case Histories

• Worked Examples

• Lessons learnt from previous collapsed structures/disasters

• Historical Background

• Theoretical Aspects

• Mathematical Aspects

• Design Aspects

• Experimental Aspects (Field Measurements, Lab Testing)

• Numerical Analysis

• Construction Aspects

• Social, Economical and Environmental Aspects

• Case Studies/Case Histories

• Worked Examples

• Lessons learnt from previous collapsed structures/disasters

Tips for how keep

up to date in the

field

Try appropriate and Try appropriate and different key wordsdifferent key wordsTry appropriate and Try appropriate and different key wordsdifferent key words

Starting Point:Starting Point:Starting Point:Starting Point:

TIPSTIPS

13

SAMPLE

• You cannot rule out the possibility that

your research topic has already been

addressed in a recently published paper.

• It is important to keep up with published

works in your field and use a structured

search strategy to make sure you don’t

overlook similar publications.

Large volume of publicationsLarge volume of publications

Source: EditageSource: EditageSource: EditageSource: Editage

• Avoid duplicating already published work

• Provide strong justification and discussion for your

study based on previous research

• Determine the best methods for your research

• Explore gaps and weaknesses in existing studies

• Become familiar with terminologies in your field

Benefits of a good literature search Benefits of a good literature search


• Be familiar with alternative vocabulary used in your

topic

• Search multiple academic databases, e.g.

ScienceDirect

• Check publisher databases and journal websites

databases e.g., Scopus, ISI Web of Elsevier’s ScienceDirect,

Google Scholar, SpringerLink, Wiley Online

More Tips More Tips


• Keep a written record of your searches.

• Maintain a list of keywords and keyword

combinations

• Use a reference manager like Endnote / MS-Excel

• Use alerts to keep up with new publications. e.g.

Table-of- Contents (TOC) alerts, citation alerts, and keyword alerts.

More Tips More Tips


• Backward Searching: Follow the citations and

browse through the reference list of relevant

articles to find more related articles.

• Forward Searching: Look at papers that have

cited relevant articles since publication.

Backward and Forward Searching



Accept to be the reviewer of journal papers Accept to be the reviewer of journal papers and research applications.and research applications.

Read the related work (or previous work) section of the papers in the working set of papers. You'll usually find at least a few papers related to your subject. Include them in the working set. (This is a backward search.)

Do a search on Google Scholar or Citeseer for each paper in your working set. See what papers cited those papers, include them in the working set. (This is a forward search.)



Source: http://www.ece.ncsu.eduSource: http://www.ece.ncsu.eduSource: http://www.ece.ncsu.eduSource: http://www.ece.ncsu.edu

Google ScholarGoogle Scholar

Cite Seer.Cite Seer.

• Attend conferences and seminars in your field.

• Check conference proceedings as they can provide the

latest findings and discussions on the topic you’re

studying.

• Try to search various literature: including theses and

dissertations, books, conference proceedings government and

organizational reports, technical, and statistical reports and working

papers

• Social Networking Sites : e.g. Facebook, Linkedin ?

Conferences and Networking Conferences and Networking

THAnk You

&

Good Luck With your Research

Documents

CIVIL Enginieerin A/Prof Hadi Khabbaz Email: [email protected] Room 2.511B How to keep up to date in your field Tips for Effective Literature Searching